[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     50TH ANNIVERSARY OF AIR FORCE

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                           HON. VAN HILLEARY

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 1997

  Mr. HILLEARY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an Air Force veteran and a 
major in the Air Force Reserve to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 
the U.S. Air Force.
  When we look at today's Air Force, with all its cutting-edge 
technological advances and global superiority, it's amazing to think 
how far we have come in this century. It's certainly a far cry from the 
military's first airborne activities--the Army's use of balloons for 
reconnaissance during the Civil War and Spanish American War, and the 
use of its first aircraft against Pancho Villa in Mexico in 1916.
  From these humble roots, military aviation grew and matured from 
being a part of the Signal Corps in 1914, to becoming the Army Bureau 
of Aircraft Production and the Air Service in 1918, to the Army Air 
Forces and the Army Air Corps in the 1920's.
  As military aviators distinguished themselves in World War I and 
World War II, support for a full-fledged, independent Air Force grew. 
More and more people came to realize that the Air Corps was more than 
just a part of the Army: It was a highly specialized branch of the 
military which should stand on equal footing with the Army and the 
Navy.
  Finally, in 1947, the National Security Act, which created an 
independent U.S. Air Force, was passed by Congress and signed into law 
by President Harry S Truman. Fifty years later, we celebrate the 
contributions the Air Force has made over the past five decades, and we 
look forward to the many more contributions which the Air Force will 
make in the decades and centuries to come.
  I know Air Force veterans and members at installations around the 
world will mark this 50th anniversary with great pride and honor. At 
Arnold Engineering and Development Center [AEDC] on Arnold Air Force 
Base in my congressional district, a celebration was recently held in 
observance of this milestone, and I'm sure similar events have been 
held at many other bases.
  Mr. Speaker, at this point, I would like to once again thank the U.S. 
Air Force for all it has done for our great country, and I would like 
to insert into the Record a poem written by Tennessee's poet laureate 
Margaret Britton Vaughn, in honor of this wonderful anniversary. This 
poem was read publicly for the first time by Maggie Vaughn at the AEDC 
50th anniversary commemoration.

                     Air Force Fiftieth Anniversary

     Nineteen forty-seven, fifty years ago
     The vision would not rest
     Until the Air Force was born,
     And the Bird left its nest.
     A Bird with metal wings
     A cockpit for an eye
     Pilots gave it heart and soul
     With grace of a butterfly.
     America's fields grow barracks
     And long, gray runways.
     Seas of blue uniforms
     Blended with the amber waves.
     Above the patterned clouds
     We watched fliers in formations,
     Vapor trails left behind
     Sent a message to all nations.
     The large Bear of the U.S.S.R.
     Shoot with disbelief,
     The Eagle soared above its head
     Bringing West Berlin relief.
     Red Communism was no match
     For men and women in blue,
     MIGs could not compete
     Where the Sabre flew.
     From Korea to Vietnam
     To Desert Storm of Iraq,
     The Air Force was there
     And brought the banner back.
     Yesterday a playful boy
     Spread his arms in flight,
     Dreamed one day he'd fly
     In his sleep at night.
     The boy fulfilled his dream
     High above the barren ground.
     And woke up a tired God
     ``When he broke the speed of sound''
     Today boys and girls
     Share that same dream.
     One day to take the oath
     Join the Air Force team.
     A half century has come and gone
     Since Truman took the pen.
     Signed aboard his ``Sacred Cow''
     Our Air Force to begin.
     For those who served our country
     In peace and war time,
     For those who gave their lives
     So freedom bells could chime.
     For those who serve the Seal
     Eagle, thunderbolt, stars and cloud
     And wreath of six folds
     Make our country proud.
     The symbol of the Eagle
     Facing the future without sorrow,
     The United States, Air Force
     Yesterday, today, tomorrow.

     

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